(Image
via
Getty)
Election
nerds
and
high
school
civics
teachers
will
absolutely
delight
in
the
new
PBS
special,
DEADLOCK:
an
election
story.
And,
frankly,
the
interesting
(if
overly
earnest)
documentary
is
worth
a
watch
for
anyone
looking
to
turn
down
the
highly
partisan
election
rhetoric.
The
special,
hosted
by
UC
Davis
School
of
Law
professor
Aaron
Tang,
plays
a
game
of
“what
would
you
do”
with
a
political
all-star
panel[1]
roleplaying
how
they’d
handle
an
election
dilemma
in
the
fictional
state
of
Middlevania.
As
Tang
notes,
“The
current
climate
of
American
discourse
finds
us
deeply
entrenched
and
overconfident
in
our
own
beliefs.
DEADLOCK
aims
to
illuminate
how,
for
many
of
the
difficult
challenges
facing
our
nation,
the
honest
answers
are
nuanced
and
complex.
Our
goal
is
to
spark
open-mindedness
and
help
people
find
the
middle
ground
instead
of
retreating
to
our
usual
corners.”
Certainly
a
laudable
goal.
In
furtherance
of
that
bipartisan
tone,
the
show
is
introduced
by
Supreme
Court
justices
Sonia
Sotomayor
and
Amy
Coney
Barrett.
The
pair
highlight
the
similarities
and
differences
in
their
backgrounds,
both
telling
anecdotes
from
their
past
highlighting
their
belief
in
community
and
civic-mindedness.
The
justices
explain
that
they
see
the
program
as
a
way
to
rebuild
trust
in
institutions
—
something
the
Supreme
Court
is
acutely
interested
in,
one
imagines.
As
high
minded
as
those
goals
may
be,
the
inclusion
of
the
justices
rings
hollow.
I
was
provided
an
advance
copy
of
the
program
and
watching
Sotomayor
and
Coney
Barrett
trying
to
reclaim
the
veneer
of
neutrality
for
the
Court
just
felt
rich.
Over
the
last
four
years
(and
even
longer
than
that,
if
we’re
being
perfectly
honest)
the
conservative
majority
on
the
Supreme
Court
has
repeatedly
demonstrated
it’s
primarily
interested
in
advancing
partisan
policy
goals.
The
Court
is
stripping
rights
and
hoping
to
re-make
the
nation
to
their
liking
regardless
of
what
established
precedent,
norms,
or
even
public
opinion
says.
Sotomayor
KNOWS
this
—
that’s
why
she
says
she
cries
over
her
colleagues’
decisions
and
issued
a
dire
warning
for
democracy
in
the
dissent
in
the
Trump
immunity
case.
And,
not
for
nothing,
but
Coney
Barrett’s
plea
on
behalf
of
the
common
good
would
be
a
lot
more
meaningful
if
she
didn’t
use
her
role
on
the
High
Court
to
weaken
voting
rights
and
dilute
the
power
of
Black
voters.
But,
overall,
DEADLOCK
provides
an
interesting
look
at
how
people
sort
through
the
ethical
dilemmas
baked
into
an
election.
It
premieres
nationwide
tonight
Sept.
20,
2024,
9
p.m.
ET
(check
local
listings)
and
streams
on
PBS.org, YouTube and
the PBS
app.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].
[1]
Panelists:
Dr.
Rachel
Bitecofer,
political
strategist;
Adrian
Fontes,
Arizona
secretary
of
state;
Dr.
Eddie
S.
Glaude,
Jr.,
James
S
McDonnell
professor
of
African
American
studies,
Princeton
University;
Katie
Harbath,
CEO,
Anchor
Change
and
former
Facebook
executive;
Astead
Herndon,
national
politics
reporter,
The
New
York
Times
and
host,
The
Run-Up;
Jeh
C.
Johnson,
former
secretary
of
Homeland
Security
and
former
general
counsel,
Department
of
Defense;
Elise
Jordan,
NBC/MSNBC
political
analyst;
Kris
Kobach,
Kansas
attorney
general;
Mick
Mulvaney,
former
U.S.
representative
for
South
Carolina
and
NewsNation
contributor;
Russell
Moore,
editor
in
chief,
Christianity
Today
and
author;
Scott
Pelley,
CBS
60
Minutes
correspondent;
and
Gabriel
Sterling,
COO,
Office
of
the
Georgia
Secretary
of
State